U.S. halting student visa interviews before "expanded social media vetting"

The White House has ordered U.S. embassies to temporarily stop scheduling new student visa appointments, as the Trump administration works to expand social media screenings for applicants, the latest in a series of restrictions on international students.

In a cable dated Tuesday and obtained by CBS News, Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed diplomatic posts not to add any more appointments for student and foreign exchange visas in preparation for the expanded vetting, and to take any unfilled appointments off their calendars. If students have already scheduled their visa interviews, those can still go forward.

The pause will last "until further guidance is issued" in the next few days.

The State Department is preparing for an "expansion of required social media screening and vetting," and all student visa applicants could be subject to social media checks, according to the cable. This extra screening would have "significant implications" for embassies and consulates' operations, making a pause on new appointments necessary, the cable said.

The memo was first reported by Politico.

When asked about student visas, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters Tuesday, "We take very seriously the process of vetting who it is that comes into the country, and we're going to continue to do that."

CBS News has reached out to the State Department and the White House for comment on the new policy.

International students who want to study in the U.S. are typically required to schedule interviews at an American embassy or consulate, usually in their home country, as part of the visa application process. Wait times vary widely: At most embassies, appointments for student visa interviews can be scheduled less than two months in advance, though some diplomatic posts have longer waits.

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security said it would screen some visa applicants, including people seeking student visas, for what it called "antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals."

The screenings are part of a wider slate of controls aimed at international students — some of which have run into pushback from the court system.

Last week, DHS told Harvard University it can no longer enroll international students, escalating a monthslong battle between the administration and the Ivy League school. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration is "holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," but Harvard said the move was illegal. A judge quickly blocked the policy.

The government has sought to deport a handful of students based on their pro-Palestinian activism — some of whom have green cards, including Columbia University's Mohsen Mahdawi and Mahmoud Khalil — citing a law that allows visas to be revoked if somebody poses "adverse foreign policy consequences." Lawyers argue these visa revocations violate students' First Amendment rights, though the government says it has the right to do so. Some students, including Mahdawi, have been released on bail.

And lawyers say the Trump administration has tried to end legal status for thousands of other international students, many of whom appeared to be targeted over minor legal infractions. A federal judge has blocked that effort.

Olivia Victoria Gazis contributed to this report.